Provincial

COVID-19 Responses Come Into Focus, But Road Ahead Remains Uncertain

On April 8, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Energy and Environment, Finance, Health Care, Institute, Natural Resources, Our Commentary, Provincial

Following Ontario’s release of its pandemic projections last week, Quebec and Alberta have followed suit, illustrating the impact of COVID-19 within provinces across Canada. The picture that is emerging is that the pandemic is hitting Canada’s provinces differently. In Ontario and Quebec, the pandemic is on track

Implementation Challenges Government Responses to COVID-19

On April 6, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Education, Federal, Finance, Health Care, Institute, Our Commentary, Provincial, Public Safety

As governments across Canada maintain and extend public health measures to control the spread of COVID-19, they are also facing significant implementation challenges to deliver relief and support measures. For the federal government, this week marks a shift to program implementation as applications open for the Canada

What Would the Ontario Deficit Look Like if the Quarantine Lasts Until August?

On April 6, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Finance, Institute, Our Thinking, Provincial, Provincial Highlight

By Gabriel Sekaly Ontario’s Action Plan announced by the Ontario government on March 25 hit the mark in terms of a good first step in dealing the economic and fiscal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The economic situation arising out of this pandemic is unprecedented and the

The Inexact Science: Ontario releases COVID-19 modelling

On April 3, 2020 / Health Care, Institute, Our Commentary, Provincial, Provincial Highlight, Public Safety

Ontario has released the modelling and projection data it has been using to inform its response to COVID-19. Key takeaways from Ontario’s health officials include: If no intervention had occurred, 300,000 cases and 6,000 deaths were projected by April 30 and 100,000 deaths projected over the course of

Province Launches the Ontario Together Fund

On April 1, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Health Care, Institute, Our Thinking, Provincial, Provincial Highlight, Public Safety

Premier Doug Ford and the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli issued a further call to action for businesses, organizations, and communities to redeploy capacity to manufacture essential medical supplies and equipment to help the province combat COVID-19. To support this, the province

Building Pipelines: Advancing Keystone XL and Canadian Industrial Capacity

On March 31, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Education, Energy and Environment, Federal, Finance, Health Care, Institute, Natural Resources, Our Commentary, Provincial, Public Safety

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced an investment to accelerate the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The province’s investment includes $1.5 billion in equity in 2020 and a $6 billion loan guarantee in 2021, enabling immediate construction on the Alberta portion of the pipeline. The project is

Ontario Extends COVID-19 State of Emergency

On March 30, 2020 / Health Care, Institute, Our Thinking, Provincial, Provincial Highlight, Public Safety

With Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer recommending stronger updated guidelines for vulnerable individuals to stay home and self-isolate, Premier Ford confirmed that the province will be extending its state of emergency declaration for another 14 days (it is set to expire on March 31st). The Ontario Legislature is

Ontario Unveils Fiscal Update; COVID-19 Worsens

On March 25, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Health Care, Institute, Our Thinking, Provincial, Provincial Highlight

Ontario’s Action Plan 2020: Responding to COVID-19 During an emergency session of the legislature, Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips announced sweeping investments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of his March 2020 Economic and Fiscal Update. Much of it is aimed at getting money into

Ontario Lowering Hydro Rates in Response to COVID-19

On March 24, 2020 / Energy and Environment, Health Care, Institute, Our Thinking, Provincial, Provincial Highlight

With social distancing in full effect, the Ford government is temporarily ending time of use electricity rates for families, farmers, and small businesses. At all hours of the day, customers will be charged the lower off-peak rates usually reserved for the overnight period. This measure will be

Potential Economic & Fiscal Impact of COVID-19 on Ontario

On March 24, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Finance, Health Care, Institute, Provincial, Provincial Highlight

By Gabriel Sekaly On March 25th, Ontario will present a one-year fiscal and economic update, rather than a full budget, given the currently uncertain economic situation. This one-year outlook will allow transfer partners to plan their operations and for the government to table Expenditure Estimates and a